Living together in Mali

Mali has no single authority responsible for living together. Responsibilities are shared among the State, collectivités territoriales, Conseils de villages, fractions and quartiers, customary and religious authorities, community organizations and civil society groups. A Conseil de village, fraction or quartier is a local body that helps organize consultation, local problem-solving and community affairs. Communes can use consultations, local development plans, public budget discussions and community forums. These arrangements are formal in some settings and mainly informal in others, and no uniform nationwide fee or deadline applies to ordinary neighbourhood participation. The 2023 Constitution protects equality and prohibits discrimination based on origin, region, language, ethnic group, gender, religion and political opinion. It protects freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association, assembly, procession and demonstration. National languages have official status, while French remains the working language of administration. In daily life, social norms, elders, religious leaders and local agreements also shape behaviour, but a formal legal rule prevails when it conflicts with a local practice. The practical exercise of civic freedoms can still depend on security conditions and the political situation. Mali is multilingual. In the 2022 RGPH5 census, Bamanankan was the main language for 57.83% of the population, followed by Fulfulde at 6.24%, Maninkakan at 5.91%, Sarakolé at 5.34% and Dôgôssô at 4.56%. Local language use can make participation more accessible, while administrative procedures may require French. Women, young people, internally displaced people, refugees and people with disabilities may need specific inclusion measures. UNHCR reported about 400,000 internally displaced people and about 138,500 registered refugees from Niger and Burkina Faso on 30 June 2025, with more than 89,000 additional people needing registration. Community conflicts can concern land and resource access, livestock theft, relations between communities, displacement or violence. Local mediation may involve a Commission foncière, customary authorities, religious or community leaders and dialogue forums. Police, gendarmerie and courts provide formal routes. Local mediation can be quicker or more accessible in some places, but a court recognition or judgment follows the formal justice system. PROSMED reported that its 2024 interventions reached more than 106,000 people, helped resolve 433 local conflicts peacefully and produced 81 conciliation reports recognized by courts. Access remains location-dependent, and retaliation, armed groups, travel barriers and limited public authority can create risks. Public spaces include places, markets, stadiums, streets and quartiers. Communes, local administration, police, gendarmerie, security committees and community actors may organize their use through local rules, public meetings, traffic or safety campaigns and reporting channels. Freedom of movement, assembly and expression remains subject to law, but security concerns may restrict access or public gatherings in particular places. No uniform nationwide public-space fee or deadline is established in the available research. Shared housing in Mali is mainly organized through households and community support rather than a standardized shared-apartment model. Extended families, host families and host communities may accommodate displaced people or refugees. Household members agree practical rules for water, sanitation, privacy and shared resources, while communes, protection committees, UNHCR and partner organizations may support community-based protection. Housing and tenancy law are separate issues; here the focus is on coexistence, protection and the practical rules of shared daily life. Digital coexistence has a formal legal basis but remains uneven in practice. Internet use was 36.8% in 2024, and mobile-broadband subscriptions stood at 61 per 100 people. Mali's data-protection authority, APDP, handles rights relating to personal data, including information, objection and complaints; religion, ethnicity and political data receive heightened protection. The communications regulator, AMRTP, can be relevant to consumer or operator disputes, while platforms provide their own reporting channels. Network access, tariffs, digital skills and urban-rural differences affect the available remedy. No national online community-mediation service is documented.